The invention is used to particular advantage in the field of actuators, for example microvalves, microrelays, micromotors, and, more generally, all Microsystems performing a movement function.
To date, most existing microactuators function based on the principles of electrostatic, piezoelectric, or thermal actuation. On the other hand, the field of magnetic microactuators is still underused. This can be explained by the fact that the technologies which make it possible to produce effective magnetic devices are of relatively recent date, in particular the mastery of thick layers having a high "aspect ratio," or ratio of height to width. Furthermore, existing relay-type microactuators are found not to be completely satisfactory; in particular, the currents needed for actuation are often relatively strong, since there is a small number of turns in the coils which compose them.